


Guide Me Home Through The Night

by scarsandammunition



Series: After World's End [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Angst, Deviates From Canon, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Humor, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-07-01 02:27:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15764727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarsandammunition/pseuds/scarsandammunition
Summary: Sheltered from the harsh realities of the Capital Wasteland, Keira has spent all her life growing up in Vault 101. When her father leaves her with no warning, she leaves the vault in order to find him and answers as to why he left.





	1. After The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> So hi! This is a full novelization of one of my Fallout 3 playthroughs. This is my first time writing something of this magnitude so I hope it's not too bad. Hope you enjoy :)

**Chapter 1: After The Escape**

Of all the things Keira thought the outside world would be, she didn’t expect it to be so… _hot_.

Being raised in a climate controlled vault didn’t help things. Going from a constant, cool temperature to blistering heat was hard - she had barely stepped out of the cave leading from the vault and she was already sweating.

And all the colour. She was taught in school that the Earth had been ravaged by nuclear fire, with all life outside of the vault exterminated and all land rendered inhospitable. And yet, this was not what she saw.

_Yellow._

_Green._

_Grey._

Rocks and boulders piled up around her, blocking paths and creating rocky sculptures in the landscape.

A highway - more accurately, what’s left of a highway - towered to Keira’s right, with burnt out cars and collapsed sections of it covering the terrain.

Ruins of lost civilisations dominating the horizon. An almost obliterated town directly ahead of her perch on the overlook. Scraps of metal made into what looked like a wall, protecting a small town. Either that or a massive junkyard.

She was grateful for paying attention during Mr. Brotch’s classes, so she actually knew what things were in this strange, unfamiliar world. Keira wondered how others from the vault would fare out in the wastes; she suppressed a giggle thinking about Butch and the rest of the Tunnel Dicks trying to survive.

As she took in her surroundings, Keira realised that she had a major problem: she had no idea where she was. Well, not _strictly_. She knew that Vault 101 was in the remains of D.C, what used to be the capital. The amount of times that question came up on pop quizzes during school had drilled that fact into her head. But beyond that - she was lost. No one had ever left the vault, _ever_ , so there were no maps, no directions to people, or any remnant of civilisation, if there were any remaining.

At least, no one had left before Keira. And her dad.

He had just up and left his own daughter - _his own and only family_ \- without so much as a goodbye. Just a note given to Jonas that she would never receive. That Keira would have to pry out of his dead hands. James had left no explanation to why he had left, no clue to where he was going. And now Keira had an entire wasteland to search in order to find him.

She _would_ find him. She  _had to_ find him.

But she wouldn’t find him by standing and looking into the distance. So she walked down the slope and onto the remains of the road. She managed to get onto the road before reaching a railing and throwing up. The adrenaline was wearing off and her muscles were calming down - her body was finally catching up with her. All the fighting Radroaches, all the running and all the sneaking from guards were starting to take their toll.

She collapsed against the railing, opened her backpack and took out a can of water, washing her mouth to remove the taste of puke. She was very grateful to Amata for reminding her to take her things, not that she had many - her BB gun and baseball cap that she received for her 10th birthday. Amata’s gift of Grognak the Barbarian. Some stimpacks and other medical supplies from her father's office.

Keira couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment - here she was, not even 10 minutes out of the vault and she was unable to continue; gripping what’s left of a railing and waiting for the rest of the contents of her stomach to surface.

Amata’s last words were brought to the forefront of her mind and rung in her head: _if anyone can make it out there, it’s you._

_If anyone can make it out there, it’s you._

_If anyone can make it out there, it’s **you**._

She steadied and composed herself. She would make it. She would make it for herself, make it for Amata but most importantly, she would make it for her dad.

And with that, she set off down the road towards the destroyed town.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty short chapter. Mainly because it didn't seem right for Keira to have to leave the vault, deal with the emotions associated with that and then be overwhelmed with the fact James is somewhere in the wasteland and she has no idea where to start. It'll be kinda sad for her for a while but things will look up (eventually)... :)


	2. On James' Trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keira discovers Megaton and finds out more about the world she finds herself in.

**Chapter 2: On James’ Trail**

 

Keira walked down the road, arriving at the debris of the long forgotten and destroyed town and looked around. Nothing remained apart from wrecked homes, abandoned cars and scattered skeletons - was this what the entire wasteland was? Just one decrepit mass graveyard? How was Keira ever meant to find her father in _this_?  

Keira looked all around, desperate to find someone, just some form of lif-

 _Wait a minute,_ Keira thought _; that_ _house isn’t destroyed _.__

_It looks relatively clean compared to the others (although that wasn't a high bar)._

Keira ran over to the house and then paused.

 _Do I knock_?

_Do I walk straight in?_

She debated with herself, eventually deciding on knocking.

_No answer. Shit._

She tried forcing the door open, but something was blocking her entry from the inside.

“Hello?” she questioned. “Anybody home?”

Keira waited for a moment. And then, when no answer came, she turned around and began walking again.

At the edge of town she came across a sign pointing to the metallic walls she saw earlier.

“Me-ga-ton,” Keira spoke aloud. “Guess I have to start looking somewhere.”

She walked up the small incline towards the metallic city when she saw a firefight occurring. She saw a man in a yellow jumpsuit, and what looked like his accompanying guard, fighting a massive six-legged creature. Keira pulled out her 10mm pistol and aimed to shoot when -

 _Holy_ **_shit_ ** _._

 _Did that thing just_ **_BREATHE FIRE?_ **

Keira watched in awe as the two wastelanders took on the fire-breathing beast, bullets ripping through its limbs and hissing as it was finally brought down. The merchant and the mercenary then walked back to their… _cow?_ It vaguely looked like a cow, but was a bright, vibrant colour and had two heads.

First the fire beast, then the ‘cow’ - was _everything_ in this world horribly overgrown and mutated?

She walked over to the both of them and bombarded them with questions: “Oh my God! Are you okay? Wh-what was that thing?”

“Relax little lady,” the merchant spoke with a silky smooth voice, “this ain’t our first battle. Lucky Harith’s stocked with enough wares to take on a whole nest of those creepers.”

“So those… _things_ \- they’re common around here?” Keira didn’t like the idea of fighting off fire-breathing monsters every 10 minutes.

“Have you been living under a rock or something?” He looked at Keira and eyed her up and down, noticing the distinct blue and yellow jumpsuit. “You know, maybe you have. Doesn’t matter, you’ll get used to wasteland living real fast. Everything out is trying to kill you. You just gotta kill them first.”

Harith patted the two-headed animal and began walking towards the south with his hired help. “If you ever make it to Canterbury Commons, ask Uncle Roe for Lucky Harith. I’ll buy you a drink sometime!”

And with that Harith walked away, leaving Keira standing in front of imposing, metallic gates. She noticed a lookout stationed at the very top of the gates.

Keira called out to him: “Excuse me? Can I come in?”

The lookout simply nodded his head and gestured for Keira to walk inside. She was going to shout out that the gates were still shut before having to cover her ears at the sound of metal scraping across metal. She looked up and noticed the plates had been pulled apart to reveal what had to be the entrance to the city. She walked through, opening a set of secondary gates to enter the small town.

Keira was shocked at what she saw - large metal houses dominating most of the landscape; pipes flowing everywhere, creating a criss-cross network that went up and down, left and right. She stared in awe at the foreign town and was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost missed the man talking directly at her.

“Well, I’ll be damned! You’re from that vault - Vault 101!” The dark-skinned man reached out and shook Keira’s hand. “The name’s Lucas Simms - I’m the mayor of this here town. And Sheriff when the need arises. Hope you don’t plan on causing any trouble.” Although he greeted her with a friendly tone, Keira noticed that there was an underhand threat present.

“I’m Keira. Nice to meet you. I don’t mean to be any trouble, sir,” (which Keira only added to get on his good side) “but I’m looking for my father. Middle-aged, sciency looking guy. I was wondering if he passed through here?”  

“Friendly AND well-mannered? I’ve got a feeling we’ll get along just fine. But back to your daddy - I’m afraid I ain’t seen anyone like that around here.” Upon seeing Keira’s distressed look, he quickly added: “although I’m sure if you ask around, someone would’ve seen him.” He paused for a moment. “Tell you what - how about I take you around town and we ask about for your dad?”

“Umm… yeah, I’d like that. Thank you Sheriff,” Keira responded meekly.

Sheriff Simms and Keira walked down the slope that lead to the centre of town, with Keira taking in the sights, smells and sounds of the new world. Especially the _smells_. Everything out here was dirty and reeked - nothing like the clean and sterilised vault she grew up in. Eventually, Keira had to clench her nostrils: “oh God! What is that _smell_?”

“Oh that?” Simms responded in an amused tone, “that’s the result of the leaking pipes. Walter says he’ll get round to doing it one of these days but he never finds the time. Don’t worry about it, you’ll get used to it eventually.”

They continued down the slope until they reached the centre of town; Simms stopped her and asked her a question: “Bet you can’t guess why they call this place ‘Megaton?’”

Keira looked towards the centre of town and noticed _it_ \- the bomb. “I suppose it has something to do with the massive bomb in front of us?”

“Yep!” The Sheriff laughed, deep and full of joy. “For some reason, this one never detonated. Not that I’m complaining about it.”

Keira thought deeply for a moment, then looked at Simms, shock and horror written all over her face. “So if that thing never detonated, then it’s still _live?_ And it could _blow up_ in all our faces at _any moment_?”

“Relax kid, the way I see it, if it hasn’t blown up now, it ain’t gonna blow up. Besides, no-one’s allowed to touch the damned thing - not that anyone’s got the guts to.”

That comment relaxed Keira. If only slightly. “Surely, someone has tried to disarm it?”

“We’ve got many people living in Megaton,” said the Sheriff, “but none of them are experts in nuclear disarmament. Anyhow, Cromwell and those crazies at the Children of Atom literally worship the damn thing so leaving it alone works in everyone’s favour.”

Simms gestured for Keira to follow him - they backtracked slightly (after a pause to show her to Doc Church, who Keira quickly realised she would not bother any time soon) and went up a ramp before stopping outside a building with ‘Craterside Supply’ written in chalk near the door.

“You said your dad was a science guy? Well Moira’s the only science person around here, so maybe she’ll know something.”

They walked into the shop to find a redhead behind the counter, glossing over several piles of paperwork. She looked up as the pair strolled in, studying Keira with scientific interest.

“Oh hey Sheriff! And you must be the the stray from the vault that people have been talking about! I’m Moira. Moira Brown. Pleasure to meet you.”

Keira took Moira’s outreached hand and shook it. “I’m Keira. How’d you know I was from the vault?”

Simms answered for her: “It’s a small town. News travels fast.”

“Plus the yellow and blue jumpsuit with the big number on the back that you’re wearing? Also the fact that you’re more out of place than a Radroach in Yao Guai convention,” Moira enthusiastically chirped in.

Keira made a mental note to inquire about Yao Guai at some point.

“Listen Moira, I was wondering if you’d seen my dad. Middle-aged, sciency looking guy. I was wondering if he passed through here?”

“You know, I do remember someone like that passing through, but he didn’t come in here.”

Keira’s eyes lit up. “You do? Really? Where was he?”

“Well aren’t you a chirpy one!” Moira said. “Last I saw of him, he was heading towards Moriarty’s Saloon!”

Simms let out a deep sigh.

Keira turned towards him. “Well come on! He could still be there!”

Keira said her thanks to Moira and walked out the door, eager to find her dad. Simms followed after her, closing the door to Moira’s shop and gesturing her to follow him.

He put his hand onto her shoulder. “Keira, listen here: Moriarty is **NOT** someone you can trust. He’s charismatic and kind at first but he’ll rope you into working for him and you’ll end up indebted. When we go in there, let me do the talking.”

Keira nodded and followed Simms into the saloon. The saloon was a dimly lit place; patrons were gathered round tables, laughing and drinking, gambling and cheating on games when they thought their opponent was unaware. A man stood near the edge of one of the bars, hitting the radio and growling ever so often. The air stunk of alcohol and cigarettes and who knew what else. It was the very definition of seedy.

“Sheriff Simms. What brings you to my little slice of heaven today?” rang out an Irish voice from behind the bar.

Keira walked over to the bar where Simms was talking to who she presumed to be Moriarty.  “Gotta ask you some questions Moriarty. Keira here is looking for her dad, middle aged, guy of science. Moira says she saw him come in here. Have you seen him?”

“Can’t say I have. If dearie here is loo-” Moriarty paused and studied Keira for a moment. “My God, it’s you! After all these years, the little baby girl finally grown up!” He cackled with a laugh that made her feel uneasy.

“What? We couldn’t have met before - I’ve never been outside before.”

Moriarty cackled even harder at hearing that. “Is that what daddy told ye? That you were born in the vault? Oh I’m sorry dearie, but your ol’ man been lying to ya! He walked into this very bar - what nineteen or so years ago? - with his Brotherhood of Steel friend and you in his arms, the small babe with nary a tit to suckle. Sorry about your mother, truly.”

Keira tensed up at the mention of her mother. Although she never knew the woman, she never liked people bringing her up, the only exceptions being her father and Amata. “You’re lying - the vault’s been sealed for 200 years!”

Moriarty sighed, as if he was dealing with a nuisance. “Look kiddo, I’ve had enough escapee’s from your _precious_ vault that I gotta pretty good idea what it’s like down. ‘All hail the Overseer and all that bollocks.’ Let me tell ya somethin’ - you and daddy ain’t the _first_ to escape from that metal cave and you won’t be the _last_.”

Keira couldn’t believe what she was hearing: her dad couldn’t have lied to her for her whole life - could he?  He had always told her that she’d been born in the vault and that her mother had died from childbirth. Even the Overseer with that constant fucking motto: “we live in the vault, we die in the vault.” There’s no way she could’ve been born outside.

“Whether her dad lied to her or not isn’t important right now. Answer the question - have you seen him?” Simms said in a voice that wasn’t unkind but told both Keira and Moriarty that he was losing his patience.

“Ah, well that depends now, doesn’t it? You see, I _might_ have seen him if - hmm, let’s see - three hundred caps were available to jog my memory,” Moriarty said with a smile, taking pleasure in his position over Keira.

“Three hundred caps? I don’t have any!” Keira exclaimed.

“Don’t do this Moriarty. Just tell her and she’ll be on her way,” Simms sternly told him.

“Well, in that case, maybe you won’t mind helpin’ me on a little job I’ve need doing, will ya?” Moriarty knew that Keira would do anything for the location of her dad.

She looked at Moriarty, then at Simms. His words rang in her head: _Moriarty is_ **_NOT_ ** _someone you can trust._ She looked back at the grey-haired man and felt repulsed by his sick, twisted smile. “I’m not doing your dirty work for you.”

“Well I guess I’ve forgotten where daddy went haven’t I? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got payin’ customers to serve” and with that Moriarty walked over to a group of drunkards, his hands full of beers.

Keira sunk into one of the seats at the bar and put her head in her hands. The only lead she had and some _selfish asshole_ had dangled it over her head, only to yank it away when she was within touching distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around - Simms was looking at her, his face full of empathy.

“I’m sorry kid. Moriarty’s always been a bastard but never  _this_ bad. I’ll ask around town, see if anyone else knows anything.”

Keira shot him a sad smile and nodded. A silent _thank you_. She didn’t feel like talking. The Sheriff then walked out, Moriarty’s gaze following him as he did.

Keira sat at the bar, unsure of what to do next. Everything seemed fine - why would her dad leave the vault? She hoped that he would explain it to her if she found him. _When_ she found him.

She was interrupted from her melancholy by a drink being placed in front of her by a man who looked like he’d been set alight. Several times.

“On the house smoothskin. Moriarty’s a mean old bastard, and you didn’t deserve what he tried to pull on you,” he said to Keira, trying to keep his gravelly voice low.

Keira spoke up to the friendly barman: “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

The barman looked shocked at her good-natured comment. “You’re not gonna berate me because I’m a ghoul?”

 _Ghoul_. Another word Keira made a note to investigate more about.

“Now why would I do that for?” Keira said.

“Because every other smoothskin in this city does!” Keira could hear the frustration in his voice. “Tell you what, Moriarty would kill me if he found out but I’ll give you a discount; a way to pay you back and piss off Moriarty at the same time.”

Keira laughed. “Thank you…” She trailed off, gesturing for him to tell her his name.

“Gob. Pleasure to meet you.” And with a wink, he walked away, back to stocking shelves with beers and other drinks of the sort.

Her spirits ever so slightly lifted, Keira sipped away at her drink; it was sweet but definitely alcoholic. Strong yet full of colour. Much better than the drink that she would sneak out of the cafeteria for her and Amata when they were younger.

Keira didn’t know how long she spent at the bar, taking in everything new to her but she eventually noticed people taking an interest in her. Not in a hostile way, but more out of… curiosity. The blonde lady at the table nearest the door; the suited man in corner nursing a whiskey; even Moriarty with some interest.

After becoming all too aware of the attention she was receiving, Keira quickly exited the bar.  She walked out and was greeted by the cold breeze hitting her all at once; the sun, hot and bright earlier, was slowly retreating beneath the horizon and cooling down. She walked away from the saloon, trying to familiarise herself with the surroundings and try to learn her way around the metallic town. Eventually, Keira found herself in the centre of town, listening to a madman preach about ‘Atom.’

She sat on a nearby stool and found herself strangely hypnotised by the words of the preacher.

"Strange, isn't it?" came a voice from behind her. 

Keira spun around on her stool, to find an amused smirk on the woman standing in front of her. 

"Nobody in this town understands a Goddamn word he says but he's part of life here. You actually end up missing him when he's not here." 

"Actually," Keira began, "he reminds me of my dad. A bit. Lots of science mumbo jumbo that I don't get." 

The brown haired woman gave a small laugh. "You're that kid from the vault, aren't ya?" She stuck her hand out and shook Keira's. "I'm Jenny. Jenny Stahl. I run this place with my brothers, Leo and Andy." 

"Keira." 

"So what's someone from a vault doing here?" Jenny asked.

"I'm looking for my dad. He left this morning and I'm trying to find out why."

"Oh, you're looking for your dad! How sweet! Although he must have had a good reason for leaving - vaults are meant to be paradise compared to out here."

"They are I guess." Her mind flickered back to past memories: Her 10th birthday party. Sleepovers with her and Amata. Joking around with Jonas and Stanley. Even fights with Butch and Wally. Tears began to form in Keira's eyes and stream down her face.

 Jenny put on a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice: "Hey. It's alright." She rubbed Keira's arm, trying to be of some comfort. 

"I'm sorry," Keira sniffed. "It's been a long day."

"Wait here a sec." Jenny disappeared inside the building and emerged moments later, carrying a tray of food in one hand and a drink in the other. "Here. This should make you feel better."

 _These people are so kind_ , Keira thought, _I'll find a way to pay them back_. 

"You don't have to doll. It's free. Least I could do to help." Jenny paused for moment as Keira realised she said the latter half of thoughts aloud. "You gotta place to sleep?"

 _"Shit!_  I completely forgot! I guess I'm just so used to vault living..."

Jenny gave a genuine laugh. "Stay here tonight. Take Leo's bed - he's rarely here nights." 

"Thank you. I'll find a way to repay this kindness, I swear it."

Keira finished her meal, followed Jenny into the restaurant and into the back. She was handed some clothes to sleep in and shown to her bed for the night.

"Well goodnight Keira." Jenny went to walk down the stairs before being stopped by Keira calling her name.

"Thank you again. I can't tell you how grateful I am." She gave Jenny the most sincere smile she could give. 

Jenny smiled at her back and then turned out the light, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She laid on the bed and quickly fell asleep, wondering how on Earth she was going to cope out in the wastes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will be slow for the first couple chapters. Keira has to learn about the world and how it works for a bit before setting off again. 
> 
> We'll come back to the vault in the next chapter and the fallout (get it?) of James and Keira's departure.


	3. Planting The Seeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amata struggles with the events that have just transpired. And the seeds of rebellion are planted.

**Chapter 3: Planting The Seeds**

Amata could hardly believe what had occurred: James had left the vault; her father had gone insane with power; Officer Mack had beaten Jonas to death and would have surely done that same to her if Keira hadn’t interfered and to top it all off, her best friend, her _best friend in the entire world,_ had left in search of her father.

She was alone. Keira wasn’t there. She couldn’t rely on her father, who just stood and watched as she was beaten for information. She couldn’t go to anyone else - there was no-one else to go to. She was truly alone.

She stood by the vault door, tears falling down her face, unable to do anything except watch Keira disappear further into the light until she was nothing but a silhouette. The two officers tasked with capturing Keira before she escaped whimpered at the vault door. “I don’t care what the Overseer says, there’s no way I’m going out there!”  

They turned away from the door and turned their attention to Amata. One of the officers, Richards, grabbed her arm and dragged her back into the vault. Back to her father.

The alarms continued to blare. The Overseer’s voice continued to monotonously remind everyone that the lockdown was still in procedure. The vault’s halls were aligned with the bodies of Radroaches and other escapee’s. Amata’s eyes began to water; so _much_ needless death.

They arrived back at her room; she shook off the officer’s firm grasp and went into her room. Amata sat on her bed and broke down. She cried for all the people needlessly killed by her father; she cried for herself, for all the bruises sustained in Officer Mack’s interrogation; most of all, she cried for Keira, whose father had just left and who had just been forced out of her home.

She didn’t know how long she spent in her bedroom crying but stopped when she overheard a meeting between her father and the security team. Amata moved closer to his office and listened.

“... -et man and a girl escape? There were two of them and there are ten of you! How could you let this happen?”

Officer Gomez offered an answer: “Well sir, there was a lot going on; there was a Radroach infestation and a fire, plus some of the residents wanted to know what was going on. It was chaos there sir.

The Overseer scoffed. “Then if it truly was, how you put it - _chaos -_ then explain how Officer Mack was able to apprehend one of their co-conspirators?"

That comment hurt Amata. Her father had always been cold but never _this_ callous. She supposed she was used to it - for most of Amata’s life, he had done that; acted more Overseer rather than father, cold leader rather than doting dad.

“Sir, if I may?” Gomez chirped in. The Overseer nodded; his face deadpan. “As the doc and his girl were leaving, the fire broke out. On top of the Radroaches, we thought that two wastelanders weren’t worth it. We wanted to save our own families.”

 _Wastelanders?,_ Amata thought, _how can they be wastelanders? No-one’s ever left the vault._

“And in doing so, you have let the two people responsible for all of this escape! The only person who could’ve helped us here is gone! If he were still here, he might’ve been able to save your wife and daughter, John.” The Overseer looked at Officer Kendall, whose eyes began to water. “And your wife might still be here and your boy might not be dying if you had tried harder.” He pointed at Officer Hannon, who remained blank and expressionless.

“Sir, there’s no use blaming us now. What’s done is done.” Officer Gomez said.

The Overseer sighed. Moved from his desk to the window and peered out as he had done countless times before.

“Gather everyone in the vault in the atrium in three hours. I shall explain what has happened there. In the meantime, clear up the bodies. The lockdown shall remain in place until the task is done.”    

Upon hearing that, Amata concluded that the meeting was soon over and slipped back into her room before someone found her. She laid down on her bed and tried to piece together what she had heard.

_But I’ve known Keira since I was three. How could she be from outside? There’s just no way…_

Amata was interrupted from her internal monologue when she heard a commotion from outside of her room. The guards must have left her father's office. The only sound that came after was the footsteps of a man who was pacing up and down; she let the rhythmic footsteps outside of her room lull her to sleep.

Or would have if the footsteps didn’t enter her room and stare her down.

Amata turned over on her bed. Her father was in front of her, giving her a stern look, his hazel eyes alight with disappointment.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve caused?” Alphonse said.

Amata only looked up at him and remained silent.

The Overseer grew angrier. “You’ve aided in the escape of the two biggest criminals this vault has ever seen!”

Amata remained silent. She hoped being uncooperative would encourage her father to leave.

Her father put his hand to his head and gently massaged. “I knew we never should’ve let them in.”

Amata gave in and answered her father: “What do you mean?”

Alphonse’s eyes went back to his daughter. “Don’t play coy. You know exactly what I’m talking about. She told you many times over these years.”

“She hasn’t! I’ve had no idea! I still don't!”

The Overseer studied his daughter. “Maybe you didn’t. It matters little now.” He paused, staring at Amata. “There will be a meeting in the atrium in three hours. Everything will be shared there.” And with that he walked out of her room and into his office.

Amata turned and tried to sleep, her mind full of thoughts of Keira and James and everything else that had happened.

She was awoken her father some hours later; together they walked to the atrium in silence, the Overseer’s eyes piercing Amata all the way.

They entered the atrium and Amata immediately searched for Keira - force of habit. Her father went straight to the top of the atrium, hiding behind his wall of guards; Amata went and stood by the side of the crowd that had gathered.

Alphonse addressed the crowd; “I know you are all wondering what has happened today. Well I am here to explain it all.” The Overseer took a deep breath. “As some of the older residents may remember, nineteen years ago, we let in two dirty wastelanders to into our precious vault. They were let in on the promise that James would replace Doctor Ekelstein, who had just passed away.”

The crowd murmured - the older members were unphased; they had kept this secret for the best part of two decades so it came as no shock to them. The younger members were different. There were faces of shock. Horror. Surprise.

“Always knew there was something off about her,” Wally grunted towards no-one in particular.

Butch shook his head at him. “Not the time Wally,” he replied.

Amata’s father waited for the murmuring to die down and continued. “This was the first mistake that I made as Overseer - letting in those two barbaric savages into here. Since that day, they have both been nothing but trouble. The doctor continued to obsess over a secret project of his, neglecting tasks assigned to him and taking precious vault resources in his little _experiment._ Water chips, radiation medicine - all _gone_ over his mania for his project.”

Amata couldn’t believe what she was hearing - there was no _way_ James could be the villain her father was painting him out to be. The man had been a surrogate father to her! He was always there whenever she needed anything; more than her own father was anyway.

“And that devilish offspring of his! Always fighting and breaking rules. Sneaking and stealing. She even tried corrupting my own daughter; thankfully she was raised by a more... “ The Overseer searched for the word. “ _Civil_ father.”

Amata just shook her head. This was _not_ happening.

“Earlier today, they both decided that they had had enough of vault living and elected themselves to leave and take down as many of us as they could. Filthy savages. They left the vault door wide open and started a fire, hoping to destroy the vault and leave us to be pick apart by the wasteland. Luckily, our brave security team managed to handle the issue and we are now safe again.” A few relieved sighs went through the crowd. “However, this did not come without casualty. Officer Mack was brutally shot through his kneecaps defending myself from the two assailants.”

Amata scoffed loudly. _How about you mention the part where he almost beat me to a pulp, huh daddy?_

“Additionally, we lost several members of the vault. Let it be known that all deaths that have occurred today are the sole responsibility of Keira and James Neeson. Now that you’ve all been informed, I formally announce that security will be tighter in the coming weeks, with more patrols happening in order to ensure any other… _incidents_ do not happen. Now, unless anyone has any questions, normal duties shall resume. That is all.”

Upon concluding his campaign of lies, Alphonse walked away back in the direction of his office, security guards trailing behind like pack dogs. The crowd quickly dispersed and Amata found herself walking away from her father. She didn’t know where exactly but after what had happened, she couldn’t be around her father.

Amata didn’t know how long she was walking for but she eventually heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. At first, she assumed it was a member of the security team, come to escort her back to her quarters. Hopefully, it would be Officer Gomez - he had always been nice. Perhaps he would give her some time to be alone if she explained herself. She turned around, ready to plead with him when she realised that the footsteps were not those of the security officer but that of Butch.

“Hey…” he trailed off. “You okay?”

Amata was somewhat surprised at the Tunnel Snake’s attempt at care. “Why are you asking? It’s not as if you’ve taken an interest in my well-being before.”

“I know, it’s just…” he trailed off again, looking down and scratching the back of his head. “Keira saved my mom from the Radroaches earlier. The least I could do is make sure someone she cares about is alright too.”

Amata looked at him and sighed. “I’m fine” she lied.

“Good.” An awkward silence filled the air. “So… was anything that stuff your dad true?”

“No! Maybe.” Amata broke off. “I don’t know. Keira definitely didn’t kill anyone and neither did James. James just up and left and my father forced her to leave too; Officer Mack was the one who did all the killing. He even beat me for information on her while my father just watched!” Amata was close to tears.

“Damn. Always knew Stevie was a bit of a psycho but that’s on a whole other level.” He paused for a moment. “You know most of those people actually believe that shit? That they murdered their way out of here?”

Amata just shook her head. “If they just stopped and thought about it, then they’d realise…”

“Not us though. We know better.” Butch gave her a proud smile.

“Who’s us?”

“Me. You. Susie. Freddie. Christine. Even Old Lady Palmer thinks your old man's a phony.”

Amata couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who knows the truth.

“Come on, we’re talking in the cafeteria. Better now so the guards don’t catch us.”

And with that, Amata followed Butch towards the direction of the others, feeling something that wasn’t despair for the first time that day: hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I always presumed that Alphonse did a little propaganda campaign after their departure and that Amata would do her best to counteract it. Alphonse holds ultimate power and his word is law - no-one would question it. Unless they were smart enough to realise otherwise.  
> \- Also, Keira's and James' last name is taken after James' voice actor.


	4. Talk and Speculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amata and co. talk about the outside world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hi! It's been a while! First off - apologies. I didn't mean to go so long without an update - I had to move up the country for university and then got really sick. Twice :( On the bright side, I'm better and have everything balanced now so I should be able to write more frequently again :)

**Chapter 4: Talk and Speculation**

Amata followed Butch through the hallways, noting how eerily quiet it was. It wasn’t unusual for no-one to be around but this felt different - dejected almost.

They arrived at the cafeteria and Amata was slightly surprised by what she saw. Everything was pristine and ship-shape - no signs of any trouble were shown. Then again, she shouldn’t be surprised; her father was very strict and specific on wanting no trace of the earlier events to remain.

She sat down in one of the many vinyl booths, next to Susie and Christine, waiting to hear what they had to say.

“So…” Butch began awkwardly, “uh, what actually happened today then?”

Amata took a deep breath and began to explain what had transpired: how James had left the vault and her father had chased Keira out; how Officer Mack had brutally murdered Jonas and beat her; how her father lied and slandered both Keira and her father.

Once she had finished, everyone remained silent - partly out of shock, partly out of a genuine loss for words. Susie placed a gentle hand on Amata’s shoulder, hoping to be of some comfort.

“So we were lied to? For _THAT_ long?” asked Christine.

“It looks like it. My father wouldn’t want anyone thinking we could get out,” said Amata.

“He never has dearie,” Old Lady Palmer chirped in.

They all turned and looked at the elder vault resident. “What do you mean?” Amata asked quizzically.

“Oh, you don’t know? Well I don’t suppose you would - before your time. And all this secrecy. Very well.” Old Lady Palmer sighed. “About 30 or so years ago, the Overseer before your father” - she pointed a finger at Amata - “was keen to explore the outside world. See if civilisation had began to recover and rebuild after the bombs. He sent out an expedition outside the vault to explore the area and make contact with people. Your father” - again, another finger pointed at Amata - “was the only opposer to it. Said that it would “endanger the vault” and that we would be “risking our lives.””

“And you know all of this because…” Freddie trailed off.

“The group was lead by my daughter of course,” said Old Lady Palmer.

The younger vault residents were shocked.

“You have a daughter?” Susie asked.

“Yes, I did.” Old Lady Palmer gave a sad smile. “She never came back from that expedition. The Overseer just had to assume they died out there - everyone else thought the same too. I took care of Jonas since then.”

Amata felt so much sympathy for the elderly vault resident - not only did she lose her daughter but she had now just lost her grandson; her only remaining family.

“So the old man’s scared to open up the vault?” Butch asked after a long pause. More of a statement than a question.

“Well _obviously,_ dumbass,” Susie sarcastically responded.

Butch scowled at her before continuing his line of thought. “Which means he’s scared of something out there.”

“You know, I’m amazed at your ability to point the obvious,”  Susie chirped in again.

“Leave it.” Christine lightly hit Susie with her hand, just before Butch managed to curse at her.

“What’s your point Butch?” Freddie asked.

“Don’t you get it?” Butch looked around at the confused faces around the table. “There’s _something_ out there!”

“Yeah, probably people-eating dragons and monsters as big as anything!” Susie commented.

“No, there’s people too,” Amata chirped in, realising Butch’s point. “Keira and James had to have come from _somewhere_.”

“So you’re saying there’s people out there?” Christine asked, slowly taking it all in.

“Not just people: there could be an entire different world out there and we wouldn’t know it,” Amata responded.

“Yeah! We gotta open up and see!” Butch added.

“Hold up genius; you said the Overseer was scared to open up. Surely that means he’s scared of something _out there_?” Freddie said.

“Yeah - what if he’s right?” Christine added.

“We we ain’t gonna know if we don’t open up!” said Butch.

“He’s right. Look around you - we can’t carry on like this. What happens when the water purifier breaks and we can’t fix it? Or when the vents break and they’re irreparable? And let’s ignore the fact that there’s a good chance that we’d have to marry one of our own family just to carry on the vault?” Amata looked around her cohorts and sighed. “We’re failing and we all know it.”

Everyone remained silent. Amata wasn’t _wrong_ , it was just that no-one wanted to admit it; everyone was happy to continue on like nothing was wrong. After a long silence, Freddie spoke up.

“How are we going to get the Overseer to open up then? It’s not as if he’s willing.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Amata sighed. “He may be going insane but he’s still my dad.”

As if talk of him summoned him, the Overseer’s voice came through over the P.A: “This is the Overseer. Curfew begins in five minutes - residents shall return to their quarters less they face dire consequences.”

Butch laughed. “Come on; ol’ man’s getting cranky. We’ll talk another time.”

They all made their way back to their quarters. Amata briefly debated sleeping in Keira's (now old) room but decided against it - she'd could always use it as a refuge later, if her father didn't completely ransack the place. She managed to return to her and her fathers living space, hearing a meeting in his office but not caring enough to listen in. She laid down on her single bed, her head spinning with thoughts. Thoughts of Keira, the outside world, her father, Keira, James, everyone who had died, Keira, how they'd carry on if the vault remained closed...

 _Keira_.

Amata sighed. She hoped that her best friend would stay safe. She could find James and then they could come back and everything would go back to normal - right? As nice as the thought was to entertain, Amata knew better. If either stepped foot in the vault again, her father would have them both killed. She wondered if she would ever see Keira again; she hoped she would. There was so many things that had happened since she left and it hadn't even been a full day. She wondered how Keira would handle the situation, knowing what her and the others now knew. She wondered how she would fare if their positions were reversed, if her father had just taken off in the dead of night for some unknown reason. 

"I wish you were here," Amata said to the ceiling, before she closed her eyes and let a wave of sadness overtake her into sleep.  


	5. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keira gets a job and prepares for the outside world.

**Chapter 5: Preparation**

Keira awoke in the metal room, and almost thought she was back in the vault. Back with her dad, like she had just had some twisted dream. But, as she soon began to realise, it was not. She was _outside_ , away from safety, away from Amata, all to find her dad. Keira wanted to punch him if the whole situation didn’t want to make her cry.

She sighed and carefully got up off of the bed, making her way downstairs and outside. Once she got near the door, she saw a large and muscular man speaking to Jenny. Keira immediately felt as if something was off; she could see Jenny tensing up and on the defensive.

“-ome on Stahl. Surely the hero of the town deserves a free meal every now and then?”

“Fuck off Jericho; me and you both know you ain’t no hero. Shooting a few raiders doesn’t make you some sort of wasteland saint, ” Jenny responded.

“Oh but it does when it’s that fucking stickler Simms?” the brawny man - Jericho - answered.

“Yes, because unlike you, he’s not a asshole. Now leave,” Jenny said.

“You gonna make me?” Jericho got up from his stool and moved around the bar towards Jenny. Jenny started backing up in turn until she hit the metal wall of the store. Jericho kept moving to her and got up in her face. “See out in the wastes, there’s a rule - you take whatever you want, whenever you want. I’m thinking I start applying that here.”

And he would of said more. Until he heard the distinctive _click_ of a gun and a hard press against his back, just over his heart.

“She asked you to leave,” Keira snarled into his ear, “and I suggest you do before somebody gets hurt. And I’ll be damned sure that it’s not gonna be me or Jenny.”

Jericho turned around to find Keira’s disgusted face looking at him. He thought about disarming her here and now, showing her how it was done out _there._ But he decided against it. People were starting to look over from all the commotion and stare.

“I was leaving anyway. I ain’t being killed by some fucking pampered vault asshole.” And with that he skulked away.

Keira moved to Jenny. “You okay?”

Jenny brushed her yellow jumpsuit and looked up at Keira. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks. Usually, Jericho’s all bark and no bite. Quick thinking with the pistol though,” she gave with a small smile.

“It was more intimidation really; I don’t think I could’ve really shot him,” Keira said.

“Well regardless, I appreciate the help.” Jenny gestured for Keira to sit at one of the stalls outside the store. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Keira inquired.

“You know, the plan for finding your dad? The whole reason you’re out here?”

Keira sighed. “I don’t know. The only person who knows is charging me to tell me where he went. I gotta somehow raise three hundred caps.”

“Well I hear Moira’s looking for an assistant on a project she’s been working on,” Jenny suggested.

“Really?” Keira’s hopes were raised. “I’ll check her out - thanks!”

She smiled and left Jenny, making her way up the series of ramps that led to Craterside Supply. As she reached the top of the ramp, she saw thick black smoke coming from inside the store and the guard outside, coughing heavily. Keira went up and tried to help.

“Are you okay?”

The guard nodded. “Just leave me out of” _cough_ “that crazy girl’s experiments. I don’t get paid” _cough cough_ “enough for this shit.”

The guard walked over to the railing outside of the store; Keira tried to look inside but her vision was obscured by the smoke. _Just what am I signing myself up for?,_ she pondered.

She walked into the shop and found Moira standing over what looked like a power generator, her blue jumpsuit stained with oil and grease. Moira looked up from her project and gave Keira a hearty smile.  “Hey there! I don’t suppose you know how to stop the decomposition of a synthetic bio-fuel when powered through a reverse combustion cylinder?”

Keira looked baffled. “No, I’m pretty sure I skipped that lesson in class,” she replied.

“Ohhh well, guess I’ll have to put this project on hold for the time being.” The redhead wiped at her face and hands with a rag before addressing Keira again. “Anyway, what’s up Kizzykat?”

Keira, momentarily shocked by the use of the bizarre nickname, asked what Jenny had told her: “I hear you’re looking for an assistant to help with… something.”

Moira looked overjoyed. ”Oh yay! I hoped someone would come and help me. You see, I’ve been thinking - what if people knew how to survive the wasteland? You know, actually being able to fight and live rather than just walking headfirst into a Deathclaw den,” she said.

“Right…” Keira trailed off.

“Sooo, what I’m thinking is that we write a book! You know, to help people navigate the wastes!” Moira said to Keira with a Cheshire-grin.

Keira was silent for a minute. “How much work and time would it take?” she said, conscious of wanting to find her father.

“Well not much time at all! Well the research part at least. Printing and distribution will take some time,” Moira replied.

Keira hesitated at first but then made her decision: “I’ll do it,” she said with a smile.

“Great! I’m thinking for the first chapter we help people to with day-to-day dangers. You know, radiation, food and medicine, avoiding landmines etcetera.”

“Landmines?” Keira asked. “Where would people find landmines?”

“Why everywhere of course!” Moira said. “People use landmines to protect their territory. Holding off their shelters from raiders, wasteland critters and the like. Rumor has it that there’s a ghost town to the north just full of them!”

“And I’m guessing you want me to travel up there to check it out?” Keira queried.

“Yes! We can’t afford to not see what’s happening. Here, I’ll mark its location on your Pip-boy.” Moira moved closer to Keira, took her arm and typed in the coordinates for a place called “Minefield.” “There you go! Please try not to die on your way there. Or back. That would be bad.”  

Keira would’ve set off at that if she didn’t look at what she was wearing. “Errr, Moira? I don’t suppose you have anything… _sturdier_ that I can wear? I don’t exactly think that a thin vault suit will be much good out there.”

“Hmmm, let me have a look out back.” Moira disappeared behind a door and rummaged around out back until she walked back in with a brown suit of sorts. “Here. This’ll stop a few bullets. Oooo! Take some stimpacks too. You know, just in case.”

“Thanks. How long do you reckon it’ll take?”

“That’s a good question!” Moira pondered for a few seconds. “Maybe a few days there and back. There’s a little scrapyard you can stay in overnight. Here, I’ll mark that too.”

Once Moira had finished and Keira was outfitted, she made her way to the Brass Lantern; there she emptied her bag and put the stimpacks inside (and some food which Jenny wrapped and gave her when Keira told her what was happening).

"Be careful Keira. The wasteland isn't exactly what you'd call a kind place." 

"I'll try. Besides, I gotta get back to repay you in someway," she said with a smile.

After saying her goodbyes to Jenny, she headed towards the gate and left Megaton, hoping that her journey to Minefield would be an easy one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to go with the Wasteland Survival Guide first as it serves as a sort of tutorial for the player when they first leave the vault. I felt as if Keira needed that too. Plus I need a way for her to head up north and meet a friend :)


	6. The Outside World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On her way to Minefield, Keira experiences what the wasteland is truly like.

**Chapter 6: The Outside World**

 

Keira walked out of the metal gates that guarded the metal city and walked north, guided by her pip-boy. She should’ve asked Moira if there was someone or somewhere that could help her there - she wasn’t so confident about being alone in the vast wasteland. It was different from how her and her fellow vault residents had imagined; they’d thought it was populated by man-eating monsters and barbaric conditions. And it’s not as if they were _wrong_ per say - it’s just that they may have let their imaginations get the better of them. All the ‘monsters’ Keira had seen so far were barely a few feet tall and the weather was just hot. Hot but manageable.

Keira didn’t realise how long she was walking for but eventually she could see the slight rocky out-cove that to anyone else, would just be another pile of rocks but to her, marked the entrance to Vault 101. _Home_. She wondered how things were getting on down there but then remembered that she’d only been gone a day - things were probably business as usual. The asshole Overseer that her best friend called a father had probably made up some bullshit about what had happened. She honestly had no idea how Amata put up with him. Especially after what he did yesterday; she would genuinely kill him if he tried anything like that again.

She pondered on how Amata would be getting on, now that there was no-one there for her; the poor girl didn’t know how to defend herself. Conflict just wasn’t in her nature. Hopefully she would be okay. Keira thought back to the many times where she stood up for Amata against the Tunnel Snakes; granted she’d usually come away with the most injuries but at least Amata would be okay. Annoyed that they’d beaten her (along with both of their fathers - one for disrupting vault serenity and the other because he was getting tired of cleaning his daughter’s bloody nose every week) but okay. She missed Amata; she really did - everything just got sprung on her yesterday that there wasn’t really a chance to talk with her. Or say goodbye. She told her to contact her if she had any problems before being chased out of her home. Keira had no idea _how_ Amata would do it, or if she even  _could_ do it, but she knew that Amata would find a way. She was smart like that.

Keira didn’t know how long she was lost in her thoughts for but eventually she made it to an old, crumpled-down building. She could hear voices coming from the ruins; she crouched and hugged what was left of the wall. Gingerly, she hugged the wall, moving quietly as not to alert them to her presence. Keira reached a break in the wall and gently leaned against it, peering into the dilapidated structure; she could see what was left of stairs scattered about, with men and women dressed in rags and scraps, with what looked like armor plates strapped to them.

 _These must be the raiders that people talk about_.

They - the raiders - carried about bottles (which Keira presumed were full of alcohol) and strange substances; some people were injecting while others were inhaling. But they were not the things that got her attention - instead her main focus were on the guns that were strapped to their backs and sides. Far larger than Keira had ever seen; they put her puny 10mm pistol to shame. She knew that didn’t want to get caught on the other side of the barrel.

Keira decided that this situation wasn’t for her and decided it would be best to sneak around if she was to move along. She went to move away but the wall she was leaning against collapsed, the sound of bricks smacking the ground filling the air; all the raiders turned to look at the commotion.

"Well what have we here? Someone trying to get in on our fun? Well I ain't havin' it - kill her, boys!"

Like a hive mind, they raised their rifles and begin to fire at the ground where Keira was. Only Keira wasn’t there anymore; she had scrambled to her feet and sprinted away, dodging and ducking as she did so. Keira was grateful that most were drunk or high or both; they couldn’t aim for shit. She hurtled further and further away, only to keep having bullets flying over and around her. She dared to look back, only to find that the raiders had given chase and were after her.

“Where you running to girlie?” a voice cried out.

“We just want to play!” another called.

Keira realised that she couldn’t keep running forever and had to lose her pursuers soon. She could find cover and try to take them on but that wouldn’t be a wise idea; there were _far_ more of them with **_far_ ** bigger guns. She would have to either outrun them or hide. Since she was tiring, Keira settled on the hide option. But where would she go? She quickly scanned the environment, looking for anywhere to hide.

_There’s some houses, but they’d quickly find me there. There’s the bridge but I doubt I could climb that high quick enough to avoid being hit. The river would be too deep for me to stay underwater for long enough._

She looked around once more, just to be sure that there really was no-one else for her to go. She could hear her pursuers gaining ground on her and she was tiring fast.

_Fuck it - the river will have to do._

Using her last store of adrenaline and energy, Keira raced towards the river and dived in, taking one last gasp of air just before she broke the waterfront. She smacked into the water, her chest brunting most of the impact, and began to swim. The raiders, who had been following close behind, refused to jump into the river after her, instead resorting to shooting into the water in an attempt to hit Keira. Most of the bullets managed to miss her but a lucky one managed to penetrate her shoulder; she gasped, and let out all the air she’d been holding.

Keira now knew that if she didn’t find air fast, she was going to drown. And with her now bum shoulder, she wouldn’t be able to swim far. She couldn’t go up for air, as all the raiders were waiting for her up on the surface. Keira started to feel her entire body hurt; she had no air and her entire body was starting to shut down; she'd soon be fish food if she didn't do something. She tried to scan underwater but the water was too dirty to see any further than five feet in front of her. She was determined not to drown, especially here, in a random, insignificant part of the wasteland. She couldn’t die here. She _wouldn’t_ die here. She **_refused_ ** to die here. Using all of her strength, she swam as far as she could, arms and legs kicking, until she hit a metal object.

_A… boat?_

Keira quickly got into the boat and luckily found an air pocket. She breathed in deeply and coughed into her hand, determined to make as little noise as possible. Once she had recovered slightly, she realised where she was; luckily, a boat had capsized and the sternum - she had her history classes to thank for knowing what the name was - was sunk into the ground and gave the illusion it was fully submerged when in reality, there was a small window of air between the boat and the water.

Meanwhile, the raiders on the surface were not sure where she could have gone.

“Spread out and find her!” the female voice called out. The raiders spread out along the bank, trying to find her body. Keira could see them from a small gap in the boat, desperately trying to be silent. She started to breathe through her nose and kept biting into her hand in order to stop her whimpering in pain from her shoulder.

She had no idea how long she was underneath the boat, silently waiting for the raiders to leave but eventually, one of the raiders called out: “she ain’t here Boud! Must’a drowned or somethin’.”  

The raider he was calling to - Boud - grunted. “Whatever, Stupid bitch was worth our time anyway,” she said. And with that, all the raiders slowly walked back to where they had come from. Keira stayed under the boat for a while longer before deciding that it was safe to re-emerge.

She dragged herself to the banks of the river and collapsed on the side; she was grateful she managed to keep hold of her bag (although all the food was probably spoilt now). She sat up and fished through the dripping bag and pulled out a stimpack, injecting into her right shoulder; she felt the wincing pain slowly fade away. Keira let out a sigh of relief. She sat by the riverbank for a while, watching the river flow and waiting for all the pain and adrenaline to fully leave her system.

Keira realised that it was probably too late to continue her journey to Minefield so she searched for a place to stay for the night. Eventually, she came across a small collection of houses, each boarded up, with several entrances blocked off, filing all the traffic along set paths. She followed one of the paths all the way around until she reached the entrance to a square, with a bridge leading into it. She walked along the wooden rickety bridge until she had a light shone in her face and a voice call out to her: “who goes there?”

Keira held a hand up to block the light and realised how much she _ached_. Her arms _ached_ , her legs _ached;_  everything just _hurt._ She decided to skip the formalities this time: “I’m queen of the wasteland! What does it matter - can I come in or not?”

She heard a sigh and the light moved away from her face. “Look I’m sorry okay, we’re just a little antsy. Come on in.”

Keira walked over the rest of the bridge and spoke to the guard. “Is there some place I can stay for the night?” she asked tiredly.  

“Yeah, there’s probably some space in the common house. Just don’t start any trouble - we’re watching you.”

Keira rolled her eyes and headed towards the house that the lookout had pointed out to her. She walked in and found a free bunk, ignoring the strange looks she was receiving from who she presumed to be the residents of the town. She placed her pistol in her bag, underneath the bed but still within arm's reach if she needed it. Keira then laid on the bed, on her good shoulder, and slowly drifted into sleep.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the most fun chapter I've written so far! Hopefully, I'll be able to write more like this one in the future.


End file.
